Kyne, Peter B.

Peter B. Kyne (12 October 1880 – 25 November 1957) was an American novelist who wrote between 1904 and 1940. Many of his works were adapted into screenplays starting in the silent era, particularly his first novel, The Three Godfathers, which was published in 1913 and proved to be a huge success. He is credited in 110 films between 1914 and 1952.

When still under 18, he lied about his age and enlisted in Company L, 14th U.S. Infantry, which served in the Philippines from 1898-1899. The Spanish-American War and the following insurrection of General Emilio Aguinaldo provided background for many of Kyne's later stories.^[1] During World War I, he served as a captain in Battery A of the 144th field Artillery, known as the California Grizzlies.

He was born and died in San Francisco, California.

[edit] Selected filmography

• Judge Not; or The Woman of Mona Diggings (1915)
• The Committee on Credentials (1916)
• Red Courage (1921)
• Brothers Under the Skin (1922)
• Never the Twain Shall Meet (1925)
• The Shamrock Handicap (1926)
• The Understanding Heart (1927)
• Heroes of the West (1932 serial)
• Gordon of Ghost City (1933)
• Flaming Frontiers (1938 serial)

[edit] Adaptations of The Three Godfathers

• The Three Godfathers (1916)
• Marked Men (1919), considered lost
• Action (1921), considered lost
• Hell's Heroes (1930), uncredited
• Three Godfathers (1936)
• 3 Godfathers (1948), starring John Wayne
• The Godchild (made-for-TV, 1974)
• Walker, Texas Ranger episode "A Ranger Christmas" 12/21/96, loosely adapted, uncredited

[edit] Popular culture

• The Tracy High School football field and MVP trophy are named after Kyne, whose Bohemian Club friends orchestrated the naming in 1927, Kyne and his Bohemian club friends funded early Tracy High School athletic programs and purchased the land for the eponymous Peter B. Kyne Field.

”There's an old wooden sign in the park [Sequoia Park in Eureka, California] with a quote from Peter B. Kyne's book 'The Valley of the Giants,' that says, 'I'm not going to cut the timber in this valley. I haven't the heart to destroy God's most wonderful handiwork. 'Twas in her mind to give her Valley of the Giants to Sequoia (Eureka) for a city park.' I wanted to know who 'she' was,” Armand said.

”She” was the fictional character in Kyne's Humboldt-inspired book, “The Valley of the Giants,” wherein a timber baron's wife's wish of saving a favorite stand of redwoods and creating a park in the middle of a city is made possible by her husband after her death.^[2][3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Peter B. Kyne at the Internet Movie Database
• Biography from the Literature Network
• Works by Peter B. Kyne at Project Gutenberg
• Past Peter B. Kyne Trophy winners (Tracy High School in Tracy, California)